When I was still working in an advertising agency, I developed a habit of daily drinking 2-3 Starbucks grande-sized mugs coffee. It was probably the reason why officemates called me the happy lady – always smiling, hyper and ready to be everybody’s busy-body helper.

Years later, I realized coffee’s reduced hyper effect on me. I remain active for shorter spans of time and I gained weight since I rarely took black. I often have mine with lots of cream and sugar.

Much to my surprise I was actually right. According to an article from Livestrong[1], while moderate coffee can be good for you by lowering your risk of Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease, drinking too much may make you gain wait. Drinking too much coffee can lead to metabolic syndrome and one of this syndrome's hallmark is storing fat in your stomach and waist.

Coffee also causes the body to excrete calcium in urine. According to Naturallysavvy.com, six ounces of coffee excrete five milligrams of calcium. The more regular coffee you drink, the more calcium is excreted. I guess that explains my back problems.

Coffee can cause dehydration which causes skin wrinkling. To fix this, pair up your coffee with an equal amount of water. Unfortunately, having this much liquid intake in one sitting may cause you to dash to the washroom from time to time.

I am not saying coffee is altogether bad. It has positive effects such as an increase in memory performance, protection against Parkinson’s disease, enhances aerobic tenacity, decrease risk against Type 2 diabetes and improve sense of well-being. As with anything in life though, excess in everything is not good.

If you are a heavy coffee drinker as I am and you have set a goal to minimize coffee consumption and take on healthier alternatives, maybe these coffee recipes can be helpful to you.

60 Calories Cappuccino

Coffee’s nutritional value, that are mainly from espresso and milk don’t vary much from shop to shop, but once you add things like sugar, whipped cream, and chocolate, there is more variation. According to lowcarbdiets[2], a 12 oz cappuccino has 80-120 calories depending on your milk. Who needs that when you can have a 60 calories alternative?

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups strong brewed coffee

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup skim milk

Instructions:

Brew coffee.

Combine milk and sugar. Heat this mix in a microwave for 2 minutes at the highest setting.

Whip heated milk/sugar mix in a blender for 1 minute until you see fluffy foam.

Fill a cup two-thirds full of coffee and top it off with heated froth.

Enjoy!

Healthy Iced Coffee

Here is a healthy frappucino alternative. Less concentrated, sweet, creamy, slushy, with some dark chocolate and healthy alternatives.

Ingredients:

6 medjool dates[3], pitted. (These are a type of fruit from Middle East and North Africa. They are a good source of fiber and contain high levels of the essential minerals potassium, magnesium, copper, and manganese. Most do contain a significant amount of fruit sugar, but this can make them a good alternative to more caloric desserts.

2 cups coffee, cooled

3/4 cup milk of your choice

2 tbsp. cocoa powder

4 cups ice

Instructions:

Blend everything together then serve right away.

Pure Organic Coffee Recipe

A delicious and creamy coffee that is the perfect alternative!

Ingredients:

1 cup of herbal coffee, organic coffee of chai tea

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. organic grassfed unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 few drops of stevia extract (optional)

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor on high speed for 20 seconds until it becomes frothy.

That’s it! Drink and enjoy all the energy for almost the whole day!

Low-fat Chocolates Blended Coffee

Ingredients:

3/4 cup double strength brewed coffee

1-1/4 cups low-fat milk

2 tbsp. chocolate syrup

2 cups ice

3 tbsp. no-calorie sweetener

whipped cream (optional, for garnishing)

Instructions:

Mx coffee with 1/2 cup milk. Stir to combine.

Pour coffee and milk mixture with remaining milk, sweetener, ice and chocolate syrup in a blender. Blend on low until smooth.

Garnish mug with whipped cream and add drizzled chocolate.

In conclusion:

You don’t have to let go of your coffee cravings. But for the sake of protecting your health for the future, it is best to look for healthy alternatives and not constantly settle for commercial convenience. Get Starbucks coffee occasionally but if there is ever a perfect time to be aware of what we consume, the best time will be now.